Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) re-election campaign hit the airwaves with a new ad attacking Democrat Amy McGrath on comments related to rioting and violence in Portland.
Leader McConnell highlights McGrath’s assessment of the horrific violence and desecration of federal buildings in Portland, that she deemed “peaceful,” during a campaign event, via WPSD-TV in Kentucky:
"What's happening in Portland is peaceful protesting, and unfortunately we have federal agents sent in that, from what I can tell, you know, are tear gassing peaceful protesters," McGrath said. "Protests should always be peaceful and if there is any, I certainly do not condone any kind of destruction of property or anything like that."
Leader McConnell’s campaign took note of McGrath’s horrific assessment of the happenings in Portland, and drew a clear distinction between peaceful protesters and the violent rioters in Portland:
“It starts with having the courage to say this isn’t a peaceful protest, it’s a violent attempt to destroy our communities. It requires clarity to say that radical ideas like defunding the police will not help victims, it will create them,” Leader McConnell says in the ad. “Peaceful protesters don't use Molotov cocktails to have their voices heard. They don’t attempt to blind law enforcement officers with lasers in order to be seen.”
McGrath previously said that protecting federal buildings from violent protesters, via law enforcement officials, is “un-American.”
“Amy McGrath says the Portland protests are ‘peaceful,’ but there is nothing peaceful about assault, vandalism, or Molotov cocktails,” said McConnell Senate Committee campaign manager Kevin Golden. “With Mitch McConnell in the Senate, Kentuckians have a strong leader who has the sound judgment to stand up to violent mobs attempting to destroy our communities, harm our neighbors, and defund the police. There is no place in the Senate for so-called leaders that are not willing to protect our communities.”
Watch Team Mitch's full ad below: